Miriam Herschlag, Allison Kaplan Sommer and Noah Efron discuss two topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week.
אַ סוף צו אַ גאָלדען עלטער אין אַ גאלדענע מדינה
This month’s Atlantic cover story argues that the “Golden Age” for American Jews has come to a close and, with it, maybe the “Golden Age” for America and the “Golden Age” for Jews. Is the US putting the “mean” back into “reversion to the mean”?
Retracted
A well-regarded literary journal retracts an essay by an Israeli on account of, well, what exactly? Is it a literary crime to be an Israeli in 2024?
Hurricane
For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion: This year’s Eurovision is gonna be a sh*tshow.
Plus poetry on the moon and more songs of these troubled days.
Songs
- Arik (Oriah Habri) — “At Hashemesh”
- Ishay Ribo — “Porhim Leshuvam”
- Bar Tzabari — “Tehaki Le Ahuva”
Well, I had to hear it to believe it. Gaza is on the brink of starvation, while Israel is bottling up much needed humanitarian assistance. The IDF is planning an offensive in Rafah where 1.4 refugees are crammed into unliveable conditions without even the most basic necessities. Americans are airdropping food to Gaza ,which is a total embarrassment for the Israeli government, and support for the Israeli offensive in Gaza among American Jews and politicians is plummeting. And all is this happening RIGHT NOW. Meanwhile, you’re blathering on about Arnold Schwarzenegger and some essay about the history of Jews in America.
Noah, I remember the young idealistic person you used to be back in the days of Young Judaea and I looked up to you. That Noah would have been outraged by the Israeli government’s bottlenecking of humanitarian aid. There’s no excuse for denying entry to food trucks. There is no excuse for killing 100 refugees for trying to get food. There’s no excuse for allowing Gazan children to starve. Noah, where is your outrage???
We were taught in Young Judaea that Zionism was not merely support for Israel. Zionism is the building of a Jewish state in Israel according to Jewish values. I see little of anything resembling Jewish values left in Israel. And if supposedly idealistic and principled (or at least formerly idealistic and principled) Israelis like yourself won’t speak out about the horror happening in Gaza right now, what hope is there for the future of Israel?
Hey Michael,
Just in case you missed it, Noah and the gang discussed these issues in last week’s episode: https://tlv1.fm/?p=65155
I listen to the podcast every week. I don’t recall any previous discussion about the withholding of humanitarian aid, especially food aid, or the impending mass starvation in last week’s segment.
I disagree with your very ungenerous comment, Michael. I do not think that the tragedy unfolding around us makes it illegitimate to think or talk about anything else. If your point in saying that I blather on about Arnold Schwarzenegger is that I do not take seriously the death and destruction in Gaza, then I disagree with you about that, too. Your suggestion that I don’t express outrage in the way that you would like me to means that I abandoned the ideals of my youth is mean, more than anything else; Also, it reflects a misunderstanding of what happens when when one comes, in time, to experience a situation in its fuller complexity. And if you think you are helping Palestinian kids being killed, or Israeli women being raped, in Gaza with an ad-hominem attack of a podcaster, then I disagree with that, too.
It will be easy for you to find, in print and on podcasts, people who are outraged with Israel, and who think that there is nothing of value to talk about other than their outrage at Israel — there are many of them — so I trust you will have no problem filling the time you once spent listening to our podcast.
I went back and listened to that episode and Linda made a brief comment about starvation and the problems with humanitarian aid.
I think that Miriam’s insights were the most perceptive.